User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
sjsilveria
a Audio Enthusiast

Date Reviewed: March 17, 2004

Bottom Line:

I was recently given a Sansui 8080DB receiver. I wasn't to sure how it was going to sound so i didn't listen to it for a month. I finally got the courage to listen to it and I was amazed. It sound so much better than my Harmon Kardon, which I paid 3500 dollars for. When the volume is barely at two it blares and the whole room is shaking. The bass is astounding and the highs are exquisit. The midrange has so much detail that you think your at a concert in person. I have many expensive pictures on the wall and two of them are broke because of the stereo. The reason why they are broke is because the stereo goes so loud the wall just rumble with bass. When I bought my Pioneer speakers they were okay. Hooked up to a Harmon Kardon and they didnt do much. But when I connected them to the Sansui they came to life. This receiver really brings out the best in all speakers. I would never get rid of the receiver beause you cant find quality like this anymore. It is true what they say, "things made back in the day by far exceed quality now."

Ok when I first got this Amp the bass was very poor compared to my friends who both had NAD amps costing 3 times as much.

Now after a year of wearing it in and the Tannoy speakers, the sound is fantastic. The bass is far less lumpy and muddled and the midrange is fantastic with piano, classical and ambient and beats my friends NAD.

The Marantz PM-48 is the lowest model in its family. I bought it for my parents, who are no hi-end fanatics. So I did not want to expend a lot of money. Items like the remote control are for them lots more important. However, they like good sound when you give it to them (they decided they wanted a stereo equipment when I connected the VCR to an small amplifier and some good loudspeakers and gave them to hear the film "The Rock"). For that purpose PM-48 more than fills the gap. However, when connected to my system (Sonus Faber Concertino speakers and Arcam Alpha-9 CD) has something lacking. Of course at first the integrated sounded just horrible, nerve-racking and complete lack of bass. After a couple of days of breaking, the sound improved a lot, and I could hear a very detailled, very sharp, I could say rather fast amplifier, with even a decent soundstaging. But the bass is still lacking. Deep reverberations fade twice as fast as they sould, and sound twice as weak too. I cannot compare it with other amplifiers in the same price range, but for me, at any price, it is not good sounding enough for serious hearing, although more than good enough for the purposes I bought it for.